Checked out the RX100; Fell in Love With the RX1

I was walking from the Port Authority bus terminal in New York to my office on the Upper East Side of Manhattan today. I was a bit early so I dropped in at the Sony store at Madison Avenue and 56th Street. I wanted to check out both the RX100 and the NEX6, which I've never held in my hands before. Before I got to either, I spotted the new RX1 full-frame compact. What a piece! Felt like a Leica in hand, traditional, mechanical aperture ring, EV dial and f/2.0 lens. Weighty, all-metal body. Auto focus seemed snappy enough. Of course, one would be right to say it should feel and work great for $2700. Alas, I'll never buy one; it's simply too dear. The NEX6 and the RX100 were almost disappointing to handle after that. But the experience demonstrated to me once again of how strong - at least to me - the appeal is of a metal body and traditional external controls. I'm not saying I will never own an NEX6 or RX100 - or another micro four-thirds camera (I still want a rangefinder styled Pen or GX with a built-in EVF). But something like a Fuji X100 or X-E1 is looking better to me every day.

I was walking from the Port Authority bus terminal in New York to my office on the Upper East Side of Manhattan today. I was a bit early so I dropped in at the Sony store at Madison Avenue and 56th Street. I wanted to check out both the RX100 and the NEX6, which I've never held in my hands before. Before I got to either, I spotted the new RX1 full-frame compact. What a piece! Felt like a Leica in hand, traditional, mechanical aperture ring, EV dial and f/2.0 lens. Weighty, all-metal body. Auto focus seemed snappy enough. Of course, one would be right to say it should feel and work great for $2700. Alas, I'll never buy one; it's simply too dear. The NEX6 and the RX100 were almost disappointing to handle after that. But the experience demonstrated to me once again of how strong - at least to me - the appeal is of a metal body and traditional external controls. I'm not saying I will never own an NEX6 or RX100 - or another micro four-thirds camera (I still want a rangefinder styled Pen or GX with a built-in EVF). But something like a Fuji X100 or X-E1 is looking better to me every day.

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You should try out the X-E1. It is a really nice and traditional feeling piece.

I think the RX1 looks awesome and I think I could work with 35mm only, but.... can't wrap my head around the price tag, especially if I think about the depreciation hit when the RX2 comes out. Sure, it will take great pictures for a long time, but sensor tech seems to me to be progressing much more quickly than lens technology.

Leica sold a solid amount of X1's at $2K and that only had an apsc sensor. The Sony looks like a wonder of both miniturisation and image quality from a compact.

I may be the odd one out, as I've paid far more than that for a single camera, or lens (I finally got my Leica 135mm last month. $4K. No regrets as I'll probably keep it for life) so I see how a dedicated 35mm lens shooter could see the RX1 as a near perfect camera. There are more people out there than you might think whove picked up a Leica M9, just to use the 35mm Leica lens they own. Or shooters buying a 5D3 to use with just a 35mm L series.

I'm most definitely not a 35mm shooter. But if there was a 50mm version I'd be making a list of stuff to go on ebay. I certainly see how this isn't a camera for the masses. But even at $2K it would still be a niche camera and most uf us would baulk at the price.

I think what Sony has done here is remarkable and I hope it trickles into other products.

I think the RX1 looks awesome and I think I could work with 35mm only, but.... can't wrap my head around the price tag, especially if I think about the depreciation hit when the RX2 comes out. Sure, it will take great pictures for a long time, but sensor tech seems to me to be progressing much more quickly than lens technology.

You need to add $449 to the price for a viewfinder unless you want to lose style points by using it as the world's most luxurious P&S.

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You're absolutely right. There's just no way I can justify the RX1. But that doesn't prevent me from loving it. As far as sensor tech goes, that would be the least of my problems. If the camera is currently capable of giving me images that I can be proud of without qualification, then it will always be able to do that as long as it still works. Funny, but the lack of IS doesn't bother me either. Half the time I forget to use it on the cameras I own. But my days of $2K+ cameras are now behind me.

But it seems to me that the RX1 may be a very legitimate tool for a professional. The purchase and/or depreciation can be written off, and the price isn't excessive as a professional imaging tool as long as the camera allows the professional to do something he/she couldn't do before.